“‘I’m so proud of him,’ [my wife Desreen] said of our two-year-old son, Jackson. Seconds later a car mounted the pavement and struck Desreen. It was a pensioner who’d mistaken the accelerator for the brake, and was going 54 miles per hour in a 20 zone. In that moment I became a widower.”
It’s the bold, heartbreaking opening statement of an online petition created by Benjamin Brooks-Dutton late last year who lost his wife in 2012, leaving his son motherless and Benjamin without the love of his life. Motivated by their loss, Benjamin is now calling on the government to introduce compulsory age-appropriate retesting every three years once a driver turns 70.
The issue of when an ageing driver should hand in their keys is one that has seemingly vexed legislators for years. The existing law states that drivers turning 70 must renew their licence every three years by filling in a self assessment form… and that’s it, the driver expected to be honest with themselves and others about how fit they are to drive.
Currently, there are several other courses of action that can be taken if someone believes a OAP driver isn’t fit to be behind the wheel. A family member or friend can ask the driver’s GP to consult with the individual and refer them to a driving assessment course.
Alternatively, doctors can now report the motorist to the DVLA without the patient’s consent if required, triggering an assessment. Failing that, the driver can also be reported to the DVLA or the police by a family member or friend directly if they feel compelled to and again, the driver will be sent on an assessment course – for more details about the options available, see the links at the end of the blog.
Whatever course of action is taken though, the process remains a time-consuming and torturous one, wrapped up in red tape and critically, involving emotive and very human issues about independence, self-denial and even betrayal if a family member is seen to have gone behind the driver’s back to the authorities.
It’s an issue that has the potential to rip apart families and begs the question – is there a better way?
Theory Test Pro asked ADIs for their views on how the system currently works, the best ways to identify whether a driver is fit to drive and what processes instructors would introduce to create a robust system of checks and balances. The issue of a driver being honest with themselves or more importantly with others about their driving ability was met with scepticism by many instructors, perhaps best summed up by Bryan Greenall of Evolve Driving School: “We all love our freedom of driving and owning up to not feeling like you can drive well anymore does not and will not happen.”
‘Owning up’ though is only part of the self-assessment problem as far ADI Emma Ashley of Ashley School of Motoring is concerned; the driver actually being aware that they are unfit to drive can be a challenge as well. For instance, Emma took an 87-year-old out for a confidence lesson: “[The driver] could barely walk and had to be helped to the car by her husband,” recalls Emma. “Seeing the look of concern on my face, she said “I can barely walk but I’m fine in the car” and to her credit she was… until she went on the A2 and became an absolute danger. She actually needed to be told that she wasn’t safe in high speed, congested situations.”
‘The problem is that we give someone a licence and then allow them free reign on the roads for up to 53 years with no further requirement on them to update their skills or be assessed at any time.’ – ADI Emma Ashley
It’s an issue that some ADIs have had personal experience of: “There came a time when my mother’s awareness and reaction speeds became a concern for me,” explains Liz John of LJ’s Learners. “At junctions, she failed to look both ways before moving off. I asked her why and she said her neck was stiff and it hurt to turn her head either way.”
It was clear to Liz that her mother was no longer a safe driver and in an example of a family member successfully stepping in –albeit a professional instructor – it fell to the daughter to have the difficult conversation with “a fiercely independent 78 year old,” recall Liz. “However, I was concerned for her but more so other drivers and pedestrians. She reluctantly agreed to give up. If left to her, she would have carried on, blissfully unaware.”
Away from self-assessment and family and friends, the next line of defence is the driver’s GP but ADIs have several reservations about using the medical community to properly assess a person’s ability to drive: “Doctors cannot possibly be expected to evaluate whether someone should still be driving,” says Emma Ashley. “First they do not have the required experience in relation to driving. Secondly, they can only measure the potential for driving properly and not the application of that potential. Just because someone has good vision doesn’t mean they use it properly.”
Ask an ADI who they think should be in charge of assessing driving standards and the answer is perhaps unsurprising – driving instructors themselves. It’s the most pragmatic approach, but how do ADIs see such assessments being structured and executed? Perhaps the best approach is a combination of GP and ADI; it’s one occasionally used by Jane Holt of Jane ‘L’ Driving School who helps run such a scheme.
“As well as teaching learner drivers, I work for Hampshire County Council as an assessor for their 60+ Skills Scheme,” Jane explains*. “Every Friday, I take three people out for driving appraisals in their own vehicles from their home addresses. They volunteer and pay £31.50 to be assessed.”
Critically, she is often sent drivers who are referred by their GP if they’ve had a health problem that could affect their driving and once evaluated, she sends their doctor a copy of her report to take action on. Jane would like to see such schemes become mandatory across the UK for people aged 75 upwards and keep it as a voluntary or a GP-referred scheme for those between 60-75.
This approach is perhaps the most common sensical – but one which will incur its own financial burden on either the pensioners themselves (not a demographic known to have deep pockets) or the tax payer who is already facing tough financial challenges in this age of austerity.
Whatever the case, the government must take action to ensure the safety of drivers and members of the public on Britain’s roads so stories like Benjamin Brooks-Dutton’s become a thing of the past – and perhaps mean that his wife’s tragic death was not entirely in vain.
‘I meet people who should restrict the environments in which they allow themselves to drive. For example, they may no longer be safe on national speed limit roads due to their lack of confidence travelling at speed that ‘keeps up with the main flow’ but can cope very well in their local area with day-to-day trips.’ – Jane Holt on the kinds of drivers she meets as an assessor for her council’s 60+ Skills Scheme.
Further Links:
Age UK’s ‘In The Driving Seat’ Advice for OAP drivers about how to stay driving for longer.
DVLA’s Medical Contact Official advice for those with medical conditions.
Mature Driver’s Assessment Scheme run by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
Your Local Council Some councils offer low-cost or free assessment courses.
Crimestoppers For drivers who refuse to stop in spite of being a danger to themselves and others on the road, call 0800 555 111 or report them online as a final resort.
- Jane Holt’s views are her own personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Hampshire County Council.
Image © Ricky Norris